Background: Feedback from vessels calling into the Houston region ports, anchorages and offshore lightering points from Sabine to Freeport including Galveston, Port Neches, Texas City, Lake Charles, Beaumont and adjacent areas in the Gulf of Mexico identified the operational and environmental impact as well as the increased cost of loading AUS40 in IBCs / Totes by truck or launch during port visits, when the crew are at their busiest.
.single-case-study-video-or-image {display: none !important;}
This feedback identified a number of key areas causing additonal workload for the crew such as handling and pumping the AUS40 out of the IBCs / Totes, as well as elements driving cost such as multiple launches to deliver and recover the IBCs / Totes, vessel downtime risks as well as duplicate launches to deliver stores. All of the operations creating a negative impact on the environmental as well as the crew’s health and safety.
Based on this and Fluechem’s continuous focus on optimising deliveries it was apparent there was the need for a more effective and sustainable solution to deliver AUS40 when the vessel was in port or at anchor whether inshore or offshore.
Options and Challenges: During a typical port visit a vessel will require many types of dry stores and liquid deliveries – often at very short notice. Conventional methods would typically involve multiple launches; one carrying stores, one carrying full IBCs / Totes of AUS40 and a final one to collect the IBCs / Totes once they have been lifted onboard and emptied by the crew. All of this takes time to coordinate, impacts operations and manpower driving cost and has the potential to impact the vessel schedule especially at terminals where launch operations can only be carried out at specific times outside of cargo operations.
The Solution: In March 2022 Fluechem forged a strategic partnership with T&T Offshore, a prominent launch company strategically located in Galveston, to develop an inland and offshore multipurpose launch service with the additonal capability to pump AUS40 directly to vessel as well as simultaneously delivering ship’s spares, equipment and personal. A full service with the following benefits:
Increased Sustainability
Fluechem is committed to delivering all of its products in a sustainable way creating value for stakeholders and using resources so that the needs of future generations will not be compromised.
The ability to pump AUS40 in bulk directly from a multipurpose launch, minimises the environmental footprint whilst maximising operational efficiency and reducing costs aligns with this philosophy within the broader picture of respecting people, the environment and the society as a whole.
Niall Roberts, CEO of Fluechem, explains, “The marine industry is very dynamic and vessel schedules continuously change. One of the many advantages of this partnership is the ability to maintain a stock of AUS40 in Galveston ready for immediate dispatch across the area by truck or multipurpose launches whether the vessel is in port, at anchor or offshore lightering with the added benefit of being able to offer the product in IBC’s / Totes or also bulk pumped directly into the vessels storage tank. An integrated marine logistics solution delivering value for all the stakeholders. I would like to thank the team at T&T Offshore for their unwavering focus on safe and efficient operations as well as their commitment to innovation and flexibility which aligns with Fluechem’s focus on delivering practical and cost affective AUS40 delivery solutions for their customers.”
Ryan Brown, Director of T&T Group states, “T&T Group of Companies take pride in our partnerships with our customers that make our operations such a success and enable us to provide quality and safe services to the industry. T&T Offshore’s partnership with Fluechem is a perfect example of one of those partnerships. The Fluechem team has an unwavering dedication to providing SAFE, cost effective, and more environmentally friendly AUS40 delivery solutions to their customers. The vessel crews and office staff from both Fluechem and T&T Offshore have successfully maintained and will continue to remain committed to T&T’s Safety and Quality Policy of, “Zero Injuries, Zero Environmental Impacts, and Zero Customer Complaints.” We thank Fluechem for their continued confidence in our service and look forward to working together for many years to come.”
